Open Source Visual Basic .NET Data Recovery Software

FreeRecover is a free file recovery program for NTFS drives. It allows you to search though and preview deleted files to find lost data. It also estimates the integrity of the deleted files, as well as retrieves their original file paths.

XML was designed from the beginning to be intolerant of errors. This decision adversely affects MS Word's corruption recovery. With one error in the document.xml subfile where all the DOCX file's text is stored, instead of a partial recovery, Word will stop and throw an error. Savvy DOCX Recovery attempts to do precise surgery on corrupt Word documents to reorder or excise bad XML tags. If this doesn't work, it uses the command line app xmllint first to attempt to repair corrupt XML subfiles of the DOCX. If this doesn't work a second attempt is made where the corrupt XML subfiles are truncated at the first error, and the correct ending tags are again added with xmllint. If all else fails, SilverCoder's DocToText is used to extract text. Try also http://wordcorruptdocchecker.codeplex.com/ and https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2528942 and my other SF projects: Corrupt Extractor for Microsoft Office, Corrupt DOCX Salvager, S2 Recovery Tools for Microsoft Word.

Microsoft recommends methods for recovering corrupt Word files that won't open. This software provides buttons to easily invoke these as well as providing 5 independent methods for recovering and opening corrupt Microsoft Word DOC & DOCX files. Additionally the program provides links to two pieces of freeware not coded by the author, a free service (if you can wait 14 days!) and a featured commercial solution (which is an affiliate of the author's). Also it has its own native previous file version recovery tool which works in any version of Windows, Vista-Windows 10 if System Protection has been turned on in the System App of the Control Panel and a Restore Point made. Another feature is a GUI interface for finding temporary, deleted and lost versions of corrupt files. Future plans are to implement Microsoft's instructions for recovering corrupt Word files that will open. This program was formerly known as Word Recovery and more recently S2 Services Word Recovery

Starting with Vista, Windows allows the recovering of previous versions of files without a dedicated backup. These previous versions are stored in "System Snapshots" as "Shadow Copies" whenever a Restore Point is made by the system or manually made by the user from the System Protection tab of the System App in the Control Panel. Microsoft limited this feature in Vista to the Business Editions. Home Basic and Premium do not have it, hence the need for this program. It turns out in Windows 8 the feature has been deprecated. The tab is not available except by accessing the computer as if it were over a network. However Previous Version File Recoverer still works, as does an alternative piece of freeware named Shadow Explorer. This version fixes a major flaw which prevented the recovery of files other than those saved on the operating system partition. This program was previously known as Vista Previous Version File Recoverer and Windows Previous Version Recoverer.

Microsoft recommends several methods for recovering Excel data from corrupt spreadsheets. S2 Recovery Tools for Microsoft Excel makes it easy to follow these recommended routines by just pressing buttons. The application also adds five methods of its own for recovery. Additionally it has its own native previous file version recovery tool which works in any version of Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Another feature of the program is a preloaded search interface for finding temporary, deleted and lost versions of your corrupt file. For completeness sake the program has shortcuts to 2 major commercial solution providers for corrupt Excel files including providing the coupon "S2SERVICES" for using Recoveronix' online corrupt file recovery service for free until Nov 1, 2014, a $39 value. This program was formerly known as Excel Recovery and more recently, S2 Services Excel Recovery.

DOCX, XLSX and PPTX files are collections of conventionally zipped mostly XML sub-files. This program first attempts repair any zip based corruption. From there it engages in four different algorithmic attempts at repair or recovery. With the first method using validation, the location of the first XML error is sought. At that point the sub-files are truncated and repaired. The second method works the same way except the XML validation is more lax. With the third, the strict XML validation is returned to and corrupt XML sub-files are truncated and repaired as before however, missing XML sub-files are brought in from blank full healthy docx, xlsx or pptx of the respective correct extension. The fourth method uses SilverCoder's DocToText to salvage text or data after which the file is opened as an old style MS Office 97 - 2003 format file including the naked recovered text or data. See my other projects here on Sourceforge for other ways to recover corrupt MS and Open Office files.

XML is intolerant of errors. This program will automatically salvage XML files by finding the first XML error, then truncating a configurable number of characters before the error and finally using the great xmllint to recover the xml file by automatically adding the correct end tags. The program starts with a default of 50 characters truncation. This truncation value may need to be changed if the truncation happens in the middle of a complex tag as xmllint may not know how to recover the file correctly. Additionally some extra text or data may be recoverable by changing the truncation amount to less than 50 characters.The extra truncation is needed in the first place because the XML validator used is not able to perfectly identify where the XML corruption begins and will often not flag the corruption for several characters after it begins.

Update: It is probably wise to try to do a zip repair step on corrupt xlsx files as a first step before trying to invoke other methods. Microsoft recommends several methods for recovering from Excel corruption. This Excel add-in brings into one toolbar these methods while adding four data recovery methods of its own. For MS methods for recovering from Excel file corruption, see: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/repairing-corrupted-files-in-excel-HA001034656.aspx or here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/repairing-a-corrupted-workbook-HA010097017.aspx. Requires at least Excel 2003 and Windows XP.

General software and open source projects

USB Gizmo for Dummies USBizmo is capable of restoring hidden files and directories from any USB devices.